This year has been TOTALLY different from other summers I've spent here. Trees were producing a magnificent amount of leaves because of the abundant rain. Then, suddenly, we had some of our hottest temperatures and ABSOLUTELY NO RAIN TO SPEAK OF for several weeks! The leaves were QUICKLY being PUSHED off the trees early, because there just WASN'T ENOUGH food or water to go around. The trees were busy storing everything they could to preserve their strength for winter. (It's all about efficiency and storing energy.)

  

All spring, and then summer, the trees get enough sunlight to go through process call photosynthesis. This is the process that converts carbon dioxide and water into sugar. Every "food" we eat originates as glucose produced by photosynthetic organisms.  You might say the leaves are culinary staff, making appropriate food for the trees to not only survive, but grow and store energy for the future. Food storage for trees is a necessity, as winter day-length is too short to provide the energy that drives photosynthesis.

  

As days grow shorter, trees are programmed to recognize that little or no "food" is being created by the leaves: the kitchen staff is no longer needed, and leaf connections are severed by a process call leaf abscission. The tree literally pushes the leaves off!